Thrust arrangement for railway journal boxes



Feb. 21, 1950 w BLACKMQRE 2,498,521

THRUST ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOXES Original Filed March 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. WLL/AMBLAQHMQQE Feb. 21, 1950 w BLACKMORE 2,498,521

THRUST ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOXES Original Filed March 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR. W/L; IAM BLACKMORE ATTOR.EY

Feb. 21, 1950 w. BLACKMORE THRUST ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOXES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed March 6, 1945 INVENTOR. VWLL/AMBLACKMORE Patented Feb. 21, 1950 THRUs'r ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOXES William Blackmore, Richmond, Va., assignor to National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application March 6, 1945, Serial No. 581,251. 'Divided and this application June 20, 1946, Serial No. 678,002

9 Claims. (Cl. 303-41 This is a divisional of the patent application S. N. 581,251, filed March 6, 1945. This invention relates to journal boxes for railway and, more particularly, to improvements in a journal system involving thrust means therefor.

An object of this invention is to avoid substantially the tipping of a.- journal box upon the transmission of thrusts from the journal associated with the journal box.

'Another object of this invention is to provide means for more equally distributing thrusts between the journal box and journal.

In some cases, railway journal boxes should remain substantially perpendicular to the journal with which they are associated. In the conventional type of pedestal railway journal box, the thrust is transmitted from the journal box to the journal on only one side of the longitudinal axis of the journal. This tends to cause tipping of the journal box producing unequal wear on the pedestal guides and unequal loading of the journal. I

In accordance with this invention, the tipping of journal boxes, upon transmission of thrusts, is substantially avoided by providing a pair of thrust-resisting means coacting above and below the longitudinal axis of the journal. These thrust-resisting means are adapted for limiting movement of the bearing and may comprise two thrust stops integral with the journal box, one above and the other below the longitudinal axis of the journal. In one embodiment of this invention, which is particularly applicable to journals lubricated by the free oil system of lubrication, an annular thrust ring is fixedly attached to the axle immediately adjacent to the journal. The journal bearing associated with the journal in this embodiment is adapted, and has an integral configuration at one end, for contacting completely the thrust surface of the thrust ring. The thickness and depth of the portion of the journal bearing which is in contact with the thrust ring is sufllcient tottithstand the thrusts incident to the normal operation of the journal. In this specific embodiment, the free oil system of lubrication involves an oil conveying means and the lateral motion of the oilconveying means is limited by a flange on the journal bearing adapted for contact with a thrust stop on the journal box, which serves under some conditions the dual purpose of restricting longitudinal motion of the journal as well as that of the means for conveying the oil for the lubrication of the journal.

A more comprehensive understanding of this invention is obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a journal box embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the journal box shown in Fig. 1 along the line 2-2 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the journal box embodying this invention and shows the manner of inserting the journal box over the journal.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal view in vertical section of a journal box embodying a modification of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view, partly in section,- and shows the manner of rendering a roller bearing journal adapted for use with a system of this invention.

Referring to the drawings in which like references denote like parts, a journal box I 0 houses a journal ll of an axle l2 and is constructed for the free-oiling method of journal lubrication. Fixedly attached to the axle I2 is a thrust ring l3. Integral with the journal box is a pair of thrust stops- H and I5 which limit the lateral movement of'the journal bearing in one direction. These thrust stops are adapted to be engaged by a journal bearing l6 have a channel I! for the supply of oil to the journal for the lubrication thereof. The thrust stop [5 engages the front end of the journal bearing, while the thrust stop H engages the rear. portion of the journal bearing, and the thrust stops it and I5 coact above and below the horizontal axis of the journal. The journal bearing It has an integral configuration at the end adjacent the thrust ring l3 to contact completely the thrust surface of the thrust ring 13 and at that end completely surrounds the journal I I. At the end adjacent the thrust stop l5 it covers a trans- -verse arc of less than 180 so that it may readily be assembled with the other parts. The thickness of the portion of the bearing which completely surrounds the journal H depends upon the depth of that portion of the bearing. Both the thickness and depth should be suflicient to withstand the thrust incident to the normal operation of the journal.

An oil-conveying means for transferring the oil contained in the well l8 of the journal box l0 comprises a pair of arms l9. These arms I9 are interlocked with the journal by means of one or a plurality of keys, such as dowels 20 10- cated on the oil-conveying means eccentrically with respect to the axis of the journal and which on the front end of the journal II.

are inserted into corresponding receptacles 2| I This construction renders the oil-conveying means responsive to the rotation of the journal whereby oil is transmitted from the well N to the bearing l6, thence through the channel II to the journal ll. Instead of having the key or keys on the oil-conveying means, they may be located on the front end of the journal, in which case the receptacles are located on the oil-conveying means. Iateral motion of the oil-conveying means is restricted by a flange 22 on the journal bearing I. On the oil-conveying means adjacent the points of contact with the journal is a reservoir 23 which comprises, .in the embodiment shown, a hollow portion of the cylindrical cup 24 fixedly attached to the oil-conveying means and which fits over the stub end 25 of the journal ll. When the journal rotates, oil is gathered on the arms IQ of the oil-conveying means and is either thrown onto surface 30 on the inside of the journal box or drips into channels 3| on lug l5 from whence it is conveyed to the journal and bearing. Due to this rotation, some of the oil ricochets through an opening 32, located in the center of the cylindrical cup 24, to the reservoir 23 and is retained therein due to centrifugal force. The oil so collected in the reservoir 23 passes by hydrostatic pressure to form a film between the cylindrical cup 24 and stub end 25 of the journal. This 011 acts as a cushion, so that the oil-conveying means substantially floats on the journal. As a consequence, vibrations of the. oil-conveying means are substantially damped and material wearing of contacting parts of the oil-conveying means and the journal is avoided.-

A standard journal adapted for use with roller bearings can be converted to a journal for use in the system of this invention by placing a sleeve over the journal, the sleeve being provided with receptacles for the accommodation of the oilconveying means. The manner of converting the roller bearing journal to render it adaptable for use in this invention is illustrated in Fig. 5. A sleeve 23 is shrunk on a roller bearing type of journal 33 which is of smaller diameter than a plain bearing type of journal. The outer diameter of sleeve 28 is the same as that of the journal shown in Fig. 1. This sleeve has a thrust ring 29 which is integral with the sleeve and is also provided with receptacles 34 for the accommodation of the keys, such as the dowels 23.

If it is desired to employ a wedge, as in the conventional type of journal box assembly, the system in Fig. 4 may be employed. This structure is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1 except that a wedge 35 is inserted over the journal bearing Hi. This wedge 35 has a lug 36 which limits the movement of the journal bearing [6 outwardly from the box. The wedge 35 is, in turn, restricted in its outward movement by a thrust stop 31 integral with the journal box I. The other parts of the journal box assembly shown in Fig. 4 are the same as that shown in Fig. 1.

The journal box in accordance with this invention may be readily inserted over the journal as shown in Fig. 3. The journal bearing I6 is first placed on the journal II. The journal box I0 is then partially slid over the journal and bearing to a position such as is shown in Fig. 3. The oil-conveying means is then assembled with the bearing by inserting it through the opening in the front of the box and moving it from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1. The oil-conveying means including the cylindrical cup 24 together with the journal box and bearing are moved in the direction of the journal until the dowels 20 completely engage the receptacles 2|. To assure ease of assembly, it is essential that the forward portion of the bearing covers an are which is not greater than so that the oil conveying means can be moved upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. i.

The terms and expressions which are employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various structural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a journal box, a journal, a journal bearing associated with said journal, said bearing 7 comprising a forwardly extending thrust receiving portion overlapping the end of the journal and a rearwardly extending thrust receiving portion, a first thrust stop above the horizontal axis of said journal for engaging said forwardly exand stop means in the lower portion of the box adapted to engage said last named thrust surface.

3. In a journal box, a journal bearing member adapted for insertion on a journal, said member comprising a rearwardly extending thrust receiving portion adapted to completely surround a part of a journal and a forwardly extending thrust receiving portion, and a. pair of thrustresisting means located in the upper and lower portions of said journal box and being adapted to engage said forwardly extending thrust receiving portion above, and the front end of said rearwardly extending thrust receiving portion below, the horizontal axis of a journal over which said bearing member is adapted to be inserted.

4. In a journal box, a journal, a bearing member on said journal, said member having a portion completely surrounding said journal, said member having two thrust surfaces, one located entirely above and the other entirely below the horizontal axis of said journal, thrust receiving means located above and below the horizontal axis of said journal, said means being adapted to engage said thrust surfaces during thrusts by said journal in one direction.

5. In a journal box, a journal having an annular abutment, a bearing member on said journal adapted to engage said abutment upon longitudinal movement of said journal in one direction, said bearing member having a forwardly extending thrust receiving portion overlapping the end of the journal and a rearwardly extend- 'ing thrust receiving portion. a first stop means located entirely above and a second stop means located entirely below the horizontal axis of said journal, said means being adapted to engage said forwardly extending thrust receiving portion and said rearwardly extending thrust receiving portion during said longitudinal movement of said upper portion thereof,. a second thrust stop integral with said journal box located entirely in the lower portion of said journal box and in a different vertical plane from said first thrust stop, said thrust stops being adapted simultaneously to engage said bearing member above and below the horizontal axis of said journal during said thrusts by said journal.

7. In a journal box, a journal having an annular abutment, a bearing member on said journal having a portion at one end surrounding said journal adapted to engage said abutment during thrusts by said journal and a portion at the other end which covers a transverse arc of less than 180, thrust-receiving means located in the forward and rearward ends of said journal box, said means 'being adapted to engage said bearing member aboveand below the horizontal axis of said. journal during said thrusts by said journal. i

8. In a journal box, a journal, a bearing mem- I her on said journal, said member having a portion completely surrounding said journal, a wedge member interposed between said bearing member and the top of said journal box, stop means on said wedge adapted to engage said box during thr-usts by said journal, and thrust-receiving means on said wedge and in lower portion of said box, said thrust-receiving means being adapted to engage said bearing member above and below the axis of said journal during said thrusts by said journal.

9. In a journal box, a journal, oil conveying means for lubricating said journal, a journal bearing having a flange thereon, said flange being adapted for contact with said oil conveying means for limiting the longitudinal movement thereof and a pair of thrust-resisting means located above and below the horizontal axis of said journal, said thrust-resisting means being adapted to engage said bearing during thrust by said journal in one direction.

WILLIAM BLACKMORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Oct. 16, 1912 

